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Tag: National Concert Hall

Irish Composers on Irish Music Series Continues This Month

Ryan MolloyThe next concert in the Irish Composers on Irish Music series takes place on 22nd April and features composer and contemporary and traditional musician Ryan Molloy. Irish Composers on Irish Music is a new series presented by the Association of Irish Composers of concerts and talks from Irish composers, on their choice of music for their instrument. These composers bring their extraordinary insight from their experience as composers and performers to these specially selected works.

Programme:
Seóirse Bodley The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Ryan Molloy Sætre Brygge
Martin O’Leary David’s Air
Breffni O’Byrne Rhapsody
Martin O’Leary Jim’s Air
Simon Mawhinney Ravara
Martin O’Leary Irene’s Air
Michael Holohan Monaincha
Martin O’Leary Maeve’s Air
John McLachlan Vita
John McLachlan Nuance
Bill Whelan Currach

As a composer and performer, Ryan’s work has been performed to international audiences on four continents for over ten years. In great demand as an accompanist, Ryan has recorded over a dozen albums and his repertoire spans numerous genres from traditional Irish music to contemporary classical music. The confluence of these two genres formed the basis of his PhD in composition at Queen’s University, Belfast, studying under Simon Mawhinney and Piers Hellawell. Ryan is currently supported by a BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellowship in association with Moving on Music.

‘I made a conscious decision to explore in my programme contemporary Irish works that draw (to varying extents) on traditional Irish music in some way since this is an important aspect of my musical upbringing and continued musical activity. This influence could be present in an extremely overt fashion as in the case with Bill Whelan’s The Currach, or only very tangentially as in the case of my own early work Sætre Brygge. These works are also complimented by a few works which have no connection to traditional music (John McLachlan’s Vita and Nuance for example) or which draw on wider issues such as the influence of landscape, sense of place and spirituality (as can be seen in Simon Mawhinney’s Ravara).’ – Ryan Molloy

Irish Composers on Irish Music is supported by Arts Council Ireland. The Association of Irish Composers is supported by IMRO.

Irish Composers on Irish Music: Ryan Molloy (Piano)

Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall

Wednesday 22nd April, 8:30pm | €10/8 (students)

TICKETS: https://nch.ie/Online/Association-of-Irish-Composers-22Apr15

CMC’s Salon Series to Highlight New Irish Music

CMCThe Contemporary Music Centre continues its Spring 2015 Salon Series with an exciting programme at the Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, 6pm, Tuesday, 28 April 2015. Éamonn Cagney, Niwel Tsumbu and Martin Tourish, a trio of musicians who perform regularly together invite Roger Doyle to accompany them in this new music salon programme. They will perform Water journey by Éamonn Cagney; Kind of Sean Nós by Niwel Tsumbu and The Lodge by Martin Tourish.

The Contemporary Music Centre’s Salon Series aims to encourage newcomers and enthusiasts alike to engage with the music of Irish composers. Each performance takes place in an informal atmosphere with dialogue encouraged between composers, performers and audience.

Éamonn Cagney is a percussionist and composer.  Water Journey, based on Gaelic slipjig and West African 9-8 rhythms, is opened with a solo percussion piece by Éamonn, followed by an ensemble piece with Niwel Tsumbu, Martin Tourish and Roger Doyle. It is inspired by Éamonn’s ancestral folklore of sea voyages and night time maritime atmosphere.

Niwel Tsumbu is a guitarist, vocalist, performer and composer. His composition, currently entitled Kind of Sean Nós takes it’s inspiration from the singing of Iarla Ó Lionáird and Congolese church music from Niwel’s maternal ancestry. The piece explores the fluidity and adaptability of these musical forms in the context of Ireland today.

Martin Tourish is a piano accordionist and performer – composer. His piece The Lodge is inspired by new emerging dance music forms in the traditional Irish idiom. It evokes the tradition while integrating African hand drum rhythms and exploring the concept of Irish improvised music, that is improvisation in the traditional idiom.

Admission is free for the Salon series but booking is strongly recommended. To book please contact the National Concert Hall on tel: 01 417 0000  www.nch.ie.

 

CMC announces details of its Salon series concerts for March and April

CMCThe Contemporary Music Centre has announced details of its new music::new Ireland Salon series concerts for March and April taking place in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall.

On Thursday 28 March, Paul Roe (clarinet) and Dermot Dunne (accordion) present a series of solos and duos for this unusual combination.  The pair are leading performers of new music and champions of Irish music.  Their programme features works by Ann Cleare, Gráinne Mulvey, Jane O’Leary, Martin O’Leary and Ailís ní Ríain.

On Thursday 25 April, video artist Marie Hanlon will introduce a concert of audiovisual works featuring the music of four Irish composers – Emma O’Halloran, Rhona Clarke, Gráinne Mulvey and Jane O’Leary. Principally an abstract painter, these works are the result of recent collaborations and the development of Hanlon’s work into other media.  In the final work – O’Leary’s A Way Through – members of Concorde will join for a live performance with projections.

A new work by Ian Wilson will feature in the Salon on Thursday 30 May, a programme of new works for solo violin performed by Cliodhna Ryan.

CMC’s new music::new Ireland salon series aims to encourage newcomers and enthusiasts alike to engage with the music of Irish composers.  Each performance takes place in an informal atmosphere with dialogue encouraged between composers, performers and audience.

Admission to these concerts is free but booking is strongly recommended. To book please contact the National Concert Hall (tel: 01 417 0000 / www.nch.ie).

Thursday 28 March 2013, 6-7pm
CMC new music::new Ireland Salon
Paul Roe, clarinet; Dermot Dunne, accordion
Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin 2

Programme:
Ann Cleare: I am not a clockmaker either
Gráinne Mulvey: duo
Jane O’Leary: a piacere
Martin O’Leary: Linea
Ailís ní Ríain: First Absolute Execution

Thursday 25 April 2013, 6-7pm
CMC new music::new Ireland Salon
Marie Hanlon, video artist; members of Concorde ensemble
Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin 2

Truth and Beauty (pre-recorded – Electronic)

Music: Emma O’Halloran

Video: Marie Hanlon

Lines & Spaces (pre-recorded – Electronic)

Music: Rhona Clarke

Video: Marie Hanlon

Soundscapes (pre-recorded – Flute and electronics)

Music: Gráinne Mulvey

Video: Marie Hanlon

A Way Through (alto flute, bass clarinet and accordion)

Music: Jane O’Leary

Live performance by members of Concorde ensemble with projected images Marie Hanlon

Thursday 30 May 2013, 6-7pm
CMC new music::new Ireland Salon
Cliodhna Ryan, violin
Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin 2

Including a new work for solo violin by Ian Wilson.

CMC Hosts New Music Marathon

CMCCMC’s annual New Music Marathon takes place on Friday 1 March in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall as part of the inaugural New Music Dublin festival.

This year’s event is held in collaboration with the Music Composition Centre of Trinity College Dublin and has been programmed by its Director Dr Evangelia Rigaki.

Now in its eighth year, the CMC New Music Marathon is a showcase for student composers from around Ireland, providing them with the opportunity to perform their work and hear each other’s music.  Composition and performance students from Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology, NUI Maynooth, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Waterford Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick and the University of Ulster will take part.

Performances will take place from 11.00am to 12.45pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm.  The event is open to the public throughout the day.  Admission is free – tickets are available from the box office of the National Concert Hall on arrival.

New Music Dublin is a major new festival that gives voice to a broad range of musical creativity from our time and takes place at the National Concert Hall on 1-3 March 2013.  It is a new partnership initiative of The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, The National Concert Hall, RTÉ Orchestras and the Contemporary Music Centre and is the first event arising from a planned five-year partnership. The Arts Council is providing significant funding to New Music Dublin.  The festival forms part of Ireland’s EU Presidency Cultural Programme.  www.newmusicdublin.ie

 

Waltons World Masters Series Announces Bobby McFerrin Meets Ireland Line-up

Bobby McFerrinThis March, Waltons World Masters Series will celebrate its 10th anniversary by welcoming Bobby McFerrin back to Ireland for a special two-day event – Bobby Meets Ireland. Each evening’s performance will be a unique collaboration between Bobby and a small, very select group of Irish performers – chosen to represent creativity, tradition and spirit of Ireland.

In December, Waltons World Masters Series announced an Ireland-wide video audition process for musicians and dancers demonstrating ‘mastery of their discipline, unbridled creativity and improvisational flexibility’ who would like the extraordinary opportunity to improvise and perform with Bobby, arguably the greatest vocal innovator and improviser of our time.

Now, after reviewing a huge range of submissions and completing an extraordinary difficult adjudication process, Waltons World Masters Series and Bobby’s creative team in New York have made their final selections. In alphabetical order, the performers are:

Wednesday, 6 March

Maire Dee – Dancer
Kate Ellis – Cello
Robbie Harris – Bodhrán, Bones
Emer Mayock – Irish Flute, Whistle
Úna Ní Fhlannagáin – Harp
Nick Roth – Soprano Saxophone, Flutes
John Sweeney – Guitar
Francesco Turrisi – Piano, Accordion, Percussion

Thursday, 7 March

Cindy Cummings – Dancer
Kate Ellis – Cello
Robbie Harris – Bodhrán, Bones
JPTrio (Ted Kelly, Jos Kelly, Paddy Hazleton) – Banjo, Button Accordion, Cajón Kit
Emer Mayock – Irish Flute, Whistle
Francesco Turrisi – Piano, Accordion, Percussion

Bobby McFerrin Meets Ireland takes place at the National Concert Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, 6 and 7 March.

See www.newschool.ie and www.nch.ie for further details and booking information.

Emma O’Halloran Wins Jerome Hynes Young Composers’ Competition 2012

Photographer: Frances Marshall
Photographer: Frances Marshall

Irish composer, Emma O’Halloran, has been announced as the winner of the Jerome Hynes Young Composers’ Competition 2012. The award is issued by the National Concert Hall and gives the winning composer an opportunity to collaborate with professional musicians on a commission for a chamber ensemble. It acts as an important platform for aspiring young Irish composers.

Emma’s winning composition, “Cages”, will be performed on Friday 1st March as part of the New Music Dublin Festival at the National Concert Hall.

Based in Dublin, Emma is a member of the Irish Composers’ Collective, the International Computer Music Association and the Association of Irish Composers. Her music has been performed by Concorde, Crash Ensemble, Orkest de Ereprijs and the Dublin Laptop Orchestra, among others. In 2012, Emma was commissioned by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra to compose Whisper City, a landmark work for laptop orchestra and symphony orchestra.

Emma holds a BMus International from NUI Maynooth and the University of Miami, Florida, along with a Masters in Music Composition from NUI Maynooth. She also holds a Diploma in Orchestral Conducting from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Emma’s new commission Cages is scored for voice, piano, horn and electronics. Her current work explores the combination of acoustic and electronic instruments and her music is represented by the Contemporary Music Centre.

The world première will take place on Friday, 1st March, 6.45pm at the National Concert Hall followed by a panel discussion previewing the inaugural New Music Dublin Festival. The three-day festival of new music will showcase the work of major international and Irish composers at the National Concert Hall.

 

 

New Festival to Showcase the Work of Irish and European Composers

New Music DublinNew Music Dublin is a major new festival that gives voice to a broad range of musical creativity from our time by showcasing the work of major international and Irish figures to the public, and through the involvement of many Irish artists.

NMD is a new partnership initiative of The Arts Council, The National Concert Hall, RTÉ Orchestras and the Contemporary Music Centre. It will take place in the NCH on March 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2013 and is the first event arising from a planned five-year partnership. The Arts Council is providing significant funding to New Music Dublin (see below for further background information regarding each of the partner organisations).

NMD offers audiences the opportunity to immerse themselves in many different types of new music. The 2013 Festival includes the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, directed by virtuoso trombonist Christian Lindberg in the world premiere of Lindberg’s new work ‘Kundraan and the Arctic Light’; the RTÉ Concert Orchestra performing the Irish premieres of Arvo Pärt’s ‘Symphony Number 4’ and Louis Andriessen’s ‘De Staat’; Garth Knox bringing his ECM project ‘Saltarello’ to Dublin; the serene voices of the Hilliard Ensemble paired with the haunting music of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannson; Crash Ensemble with European voices new to Ireland including Heiner Goebbels and Michel van der Aa; Callino Quartet with a world premiere by Kevin Volans; late night events including the cosmopolitan duo A Winged Victory For The Sullen and more.

In addition to the programme of concerts taking place over the festival weekend, NMD has a busy schedule of workshops, masterclasses and other events. The festival forms part of Ireland’s EU Presidency Cultural Programme, and at a time when our relationship with Europe is undergoing much discussion, is an opportunity to celebrate the diverse creative nature of the current generation of European and Irish artists.

For further information on the festival schedule and updates see www.newmusicdublin.ie

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